When we first began exploring the world of homeschooling I was completely overwhelmed. I’ve heard the same thing countless times from parents considering it for their family.

Where do one turn for easy to find information?

Still Deciding Phase:

• Perspectives on Your Child’s Education: Four Views: Presents each person’s positive views of their education choice without blatant attack on the other choices. At the end of each essay is a back and forth (the other authors give their objections while the author of that essay addresses their views) banter allowing you to get a clear picture of the pros and cons to each choice.  In the end, the choice of homeschooling is the obvious winner but then maybe I’m a little biased. The best thing about this book is it makes the reader consider all the options not just “go-with-what-you’ve-always-known”.

• The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling: Haven’t read it but the title is just like my cloth diaper book so it has to be good, right?

Decided, now what? Phase:

• Teaching the Trivium: This book was the most instrumental in forging the path we are on today. Prior to reading Teaching the Trivium we were firm in our decision to homeschool however, we completely lacked clear direction.

The most important nugget we gleaned from this book was to not model your homeschool around what the public schools were teaching but to write down what it is you want your children to know when they graduate and work backwards from that.  Before, I was trying to figure out how in the world I was going to teach my children Physics (which I hated), Calculus, English IV AP…you get my point…plus teach them to read, write and do basic math.

After we made a list of what was most important to us a huge weight was lifted.  Not because we realized we didn’t have to teach those subjects but because we realized what was most important: a strong Biblical worldview, a voracious love for reading, mastery of logic, systematic theology, Greek and Latin, homemaking, how to make a living from home… Homeschooling then became a true joy, not simply a chore.

• A Biblical Home Education: Building Your Homeschool on the Foundation of God’s Word: I haven’t read this one, or any by Beechick for that matter, however she is hailed as a homeschool leader so I assume she has something to offer.
• The Well-Planned Day: Planners are a dime a dozen and no planner works for everyone.  I enjoyed the weekly catechism, read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year plan, tear-out grocery lists, essays and of course the calendar part.

When the going gets tough Phase:

• One Hundred and One Devotions for Homeschool Moms: For me devotionals are great for the bathroom Did I just say that? Eek. What I mean is when I’m having a bad morning, afternoon or night I tend to run to my bathroom and sit on my closed toilet. Having a devotional nearby always renews me.

• To ward off those really bad days (which will happen anyways) I highly recommend For the Love of God: A Daily Companion for Discovering the Riches of God’s Word, Volume 1. My husband and I will be finishing Volume 1 soon and will move on to Volume 2. I have been blessed beyond any stretch of my imagination by consistently reading the Bible every day this year!

Wow. It’s been an adventure. I’m stronger, smarter and more secure in my faith than I’ve ever been. There have been days where I’d miss and have to make up the next day and always I could feel something missing because of that. God is way too gracious to me for sure.

There are dozens more books out there on the how-tos and what-nots of homeschooling. You may prefer a completely different type of book for your homeschool journey.

Above them all, however, the Bible is the book you must have to successfully homeschool your children as a Christian.  The Bible gives direction, correction and instruction on every problem I’ve encountered.  How blessed I am to have the ultimate guide to living.

This post is part of the Hip Homeschool Hop. For other great resources check out some of the other participants blogs.

***Update: I’m going to leave this post for all to see but after reading it hours later I realize just how pathetic I sound. Forgive me for exposing this side of me.***
I know, I make it look easy.

But, really it’s not.

At this point you should heed the warning sign below. All other talk that will spew from my mouth could very well destroy the smile that that cute kitty above provided you. Take it or leave it. That’s my warning. I’m pretty sure I have no grounds for excuse in this self-pity party.

Now that you’ve been warned…

I’m tired. It’s not like I don’t get a nap everyday, but I’m still tired. Tired of the same thing over and over. I know routine is good for kids and that is what training is all about- repetition and consistency. But, it’s killing me!

How many times do I have to say “Don’t get on my ball” or “go brush your teeth” ?

Worse than all that is the extreme patience a homeschooling mom must have. I’m not talking the kind of patience it takes to stand in a Walmart return line. No. That’s cake. In the Walmart return line you can be entertained by the strange characters or whip out your phone and text a friend.

Homeschooling is much harder. Sitting in a chair repeating over and over for 30 minutes, “what sound does ‘i’ make?” will draw even the most sane people to the edge of insanity.

Don’t stop though, lest that child think he wins. No, not this stubborn mama (see my stubbornness can be a positive).

By golly, he will say those 3 sounds. And he did, but I now have 335 new gray hairs.

When I’m having one of these kinds of days is when everything tumbles. I pick up a bag of chocolate chips and they all fall out a slit down the side. I cut up apples and drop some on the floor. My assistance is needed in 4 (so far today) bathroom visits or diapers. I need to go grocery shopping.

What would make everything better? Hmm. How can I say this in the most gentle, respectful way?..

I’d be filled with joy if Michael could play the role of a girlfriend and hug me and comfort me and tell me it will be okay. I know that’s hard for men, they’re fixers. The “fix” just happens to be a hug and reassuring words and that’s not always what a husband thinks.

Again, I really mean all that with great respect for my husband. No husband bashing from me…after all he does read this blog!

So, where does a homeschooling mom turn when she’s on the verge of losing it? Well, I like to run to the garage or bathroom for a quick cry. It goes without saying that I am in constant prayer the whole time I am going through these trials.

I’ve never liked it when people say, “well, I asked for patience and God gave me a chance to learn it.” Whether I ask for patience or not there are plenty of opportunities to learn it.  When I ask God daily for patience He abundantly provides.  It’s on those days that I don’t lose it during the times when I need to be a rock (like when I will not relent to my son’s refusal to answer questions).

Had I not asked for patience this situation would have still presented itself and I would have probably yelled. Not good.

Homeschooling isn’t easy. Homeschooling is best, though. No doubt. I’ll take the hard road any day when it means more time with my children and honoring God by “training my children in the way they should go so that when they are old they will not depart from it”. Prov. 22:6

]]> http://kerrvillehomeschoolers.com/homeschooling-isnt-always-easy/feed 2 http://kerrvillehomeschoolers.com/logical-math http://kerrvillehomeschoolers.com/logical-math#comments Wed, 26 May 2010 02:31:53 +0000 autumn http://kerrvillehomeschoolers.com/?p=366

I love this video!!!!!

You know you’re talking to an intelligent person when you can converse with them about the flaws in the public school system and they don’t get all flustered.  Even if their children are in the system.  I am fortunate to have family that can openly discuss these major flaws and not feel like they are labeling me as holier-than-thou.

I came across the trailer for a documentary called The Cartel.  We’ve all seen the movies like Dangerous Minds and Stand & Deliver (and a hundred other similar inner city school vs. teacher inspirational movies).

These movies move me the same as anyone else.  I don’t leave the experience thinking, “If they’d just homeschool their kids these problems wouldn’t exist.”   Instead, I’m praising the Lord that there are amazing teachers out there who are willing to nurture kids that everyone else has given up on.

There’s no doubt that the system needs help.  Will it ever be the best place to educate your children? No, but that doesn’t mean the children don’t deserve a good start in life. With sound, valuable knowledge (not just learning to make good scores on a standardized test) children from all income levels will have a chance at success in life.

I won’t even go into the fact that public schools don’t teach about Christ. That’s the biggest flaw and unfortunately the one that will never change.

Here is a slideshow from our most recent camping trip.  We camped again at Garner State Park.  This trip was my favorite because of all the hiking we did.

The Beck’s don’t start out simple We didn’t intend on hiking one of the most difficult trails with 4 children and a dog but it’s kind of hard to decipher easy from hard on the trails map.  Once we were about 1/5 of the way up I panicked a little.  But, we made it over the straight up rocks and I breathed a bit easier… for a while.

In the end, I was so excited that we had pushed through and finished the hike.  The fact that me and the girls were wearing skirts led some old people to think we were unprepared– that was funny.  I’m sure they were freaking out a bit that we were taking kids and a dog down a difficult part that they had just barely made it up.

The whole trip was fun and we only had 2 traumas.  Poor Sterling had the pad of his index finger torn off (it was attached on one end and has since healed crooked) and Haven busted it big time on the asphalt OUCH! He was fine though.

Every time we camp, I can’t help but wish we could share it with our family.  There’s no doubt that my parents and siblings (and nephews and niece) would love it as much as we do.

Oh and the s’mores this time were AMAZING!! No sub-par ingredients for this family–well, except for marshmallows.  We opted for German butter cookies instead of graham crackers and 70% Ghiardelli chocolate instead of a Hershey’s bar.  I can’t even begin to tell you how good they were.  I ate at least 6.

Haley’s homeschool assignment while we camped was to take notice of the birds.  I would photograph them and when we returned she would identify them.  This proved to be a difficult task and required that I join a bird forum to figure some out!  We got most of them identified and now we feel like “official” bird watchers.

Here’s a question for my fellow homeschoolers, when you travel and see a 12/15 passenger van with 6 kids do you automatically think, “homeschoolers!”?  We saw a family on Friday with a well-established campsite (meaning they had been there a day or more) and couldn’t help but feel so drawn to this family.  We said hi as we drove by but I’m praying for that encounter someday where I actually step out of my comfort zone and converse with someone.

I think it is funny that I assume that any family with many children homeschools even though I know this is far from true.  I went to school with a Mormon family of 6 kids and there are 7 children in my family

On to the good part.  There are 100 pictures in the slideshow so grab some popcorn.

When I work out…when…I sometimes watch Glenn Beck.  Last Friday his show was on the indoctrination of kids in American public schools.  Of course no one thinks this happens in their town. Of course not.

Below I’ve posted the March 5, 2010, episode in it’s 4 parts.

Please don’t bother leaving comments about how imperfect Glenn Beck is, I’m already aware of it

Indoctrination= the process of inculcating ideas, attitudes, cognitive strategies or a professional methodology. It is often distinguished from education by the fact that the indoctrinated person is expected not to question or critically examine the doctrine they have learned.

1) Eating every meal with your children.

2) Offensive parenting as opposed to defensive parenting. Basically, not having to reteach your children what is truth everyday when they return home from prison school with stories that make you shudder.

3) Traveling during the week. Even better is during the week when public school is in session.

4) Sleeping in.

5) Not missing a single moment of success with your children. Sure that means not missing any of the bad but that’s part of parenting too!

Last week our family traveled to Highland Village to camp out in my mom’s driveway. Fun, huh? Actually, staying in our camper is a huge stress relief and allows us to stay there longer.

It is such a blessing to have a husband willing to take me to my mom’s for a whole week!  He sets up the laptop in the camper and works during the morning hours then we go have fun in the afternoons.

While we were there Haley maintained her schooling.  One day she copied the James Avery leaflet explaining the Ichthus.  She memorized scripture, read The Little Princess, narrated it back and played- a lot

Like any good mom I took a million pictures. Here are my favorites.

It seems that everyone will agree with you that reading to your children is important.  But how many are actually incorporating it into their homeschool schedule?

For me, reading to Haley when she was an infant was easy.  She was the first baby and I had all the time in the world to devote to developing her young mind.  When Haven was born I struggled with juggling a newborn and a toddler and making time for the things that were most important.  I read less to Haven and subsequently less to Haley.

When Paisley arrived I had “mastered” having multiple children and managed to squeeze in a reading time most days.  This most likely resulted less because of my prioritizing and more because Haley was ready to start reading.  Her desire for me to constantly read overpowered my drive to clean and/or sleep whenever I could.

Up until this summer, however, all reading times were spontaneous, unpredictable and were the first thing to go if there was something else to do.  In June, we reorganized our schedule to include 2- 45 minute blocks of reading by me and one 45 minute block for Michael.

For those of you saying, “my children would never sit still for 45 minutes of reading!”, I said this too   At first they wouldn’t (Haven and Paisley) but now they know the routine and for the most part “listen”.  Haley eagerly takes in every word and keeps me on track because I often get busy and skip the reading time.

Narration is a huge skill that a child should begin to master at an early age.  Haven is 5 and can sometimes narrate the story, Proverb, or poem I just read but mostly his attention is not there.  Paisley is 2 and does pretty much whatever Haven does…and her answer to every question is either “God” or “Jesus”…. yes, Paisley, they are the answer lol.

There have been numerous studies done on the correlation between reading to your children and the various characteristics that lend themselves to success in life.  Reading is one of the top 5 gifts you have the opportunity to share with your children.  Many moms will implore you to start early to plant the seed of love of reading in your children.  It is much harder to get a 12 year old to read if they’ve never seen you read or known that reading was important.

By reading to them early and often you cultivate that love and the normalcy of it.  Although Haven cannot read words we often go in search of him only to find him lying in a corner “reading” a book.  We have to force Haley to go to bed at night or else she’d read until she couldn’t hold her eyes open.  Paisley enjoys a good story as well.

Although any reading is good, you can always strive to read the best.

Classics like Treasure Island, The Hobbit, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Secret Garden… are all excellent choices for ALL ages.  Our children sat captivated during each one and eagerly anticipated how Bilbo would triumph over Smaug.  One thing we don’t do is choose books with tons of colorful pictures or adaptations.  We want the children to love words.  The occasional picture should be simply a bonus.

If you’d like some guidance on which books are highly recommend I suggest Hand That Rocks the Cradle: 400 Classic Books for Children.  When we first received this book we went through it book by book.  Michael and I were quite disappointed that out of 400 classic books we had read less than 5.  Pathetic.

The good news is once you get started it doesn’t take long to start checking off books.  I can’t wait to look back in 15 years and see how many we’ve read and re-read.  But, reading classics is nothing compared to the enormous value of reading the Bible to your children.

I have been blessed beyond any expectations through our nightly family worship.  Not only have I learned more in 3 months than I learned in 9 years of being a Christian, but the kids have blown me away with their understanding and retention of Scripture.

I encourage you to begin reading today.  Don’t wait until you think your kids are ready (they won’t be) or until you have all the housework done (it never will be).  Like every good thing it will stink in the beginning and be riddled with trials but in the end it will be beautiful.

Haven is playing soccer this season. On Saturday his coach asked him the name of his school (He never talks to “others” until he sees fit to do so). Haven’s response was heard clearly across the field by his very alert aka nosey sister Haley, “I’m homeschooled.”

Haley quickly announced it to us and everyone else in the stands and we sat very proud. This is the first time Haven has actually said he’s homeschooled (he’s 5 so technically this is the first opportunity).

Later we learned that the response by the coach was:

“Oh, so you are going to be really smart!”

So see, non-homeschooling parent DO get it. We homeschool for many reasons but the outcome is almost always the same- an intelligent, logical, well socialized young adult.